Preview: Nottingham Forest

MK Dons will be looking to end their difficult 2015/16 campaign on a positive note when they take on Nottingham Forest in their season finale this lunchtime.

Karl Robinson’s side saw their fate sealed a fortnight ago but will still want to give their fans something to smile about in their last Sky Bet Championship fixture before returning to League 1.

A victory today will take the men from MK1’s total of home wins to eight which is a respectable total given that only one side in the bottom half of the table currently boasts more.

It may also be enough to see them re-take 22nd place should Charlton Athletic fail to beat already-promoted Burnley, who will be out to claim the title.

THE OPPOSITION
Nottingham Forest arrive at stadiummk unbeaten in their last four games.

Paul Williams’ men are currently on 52 points and could still end up in 14th place when all’s said and done this afternoon – a position Forest would have accepted a month ago when there was a small threat of relegation.

Picking up results away from home hasn’t proved too much of a problem for the Nottinghamshire club this season but they struggled to score goals on their travels – Forest’s total of 16 away goals scored is the fewest in the entire division.

However, no Championship side has conceded less than the City Ground outfit (20) in 2015/16.

LAST TIME OUT
The Dons were edged out by the odd-goal in five by Ipswich Town, in an entertaining match at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys took a first-half lead through David McGoldrick’s volley but Alex Revell levelled things up just before the interval, converting from the penalty spot after McGoldrick’s foul on Josh Murphy.

Brett Pitman’s 68th minute header restored Ipswich’s lead but Revell once again equalised, only for the hosts to win it in stoppage time through Luke Varney.

Gardner, though, would later find a way past Ikeme with a perfectly taken free-kick which cancelled out Joe Mason’s 58th opener.

They went close to taking the lead in the first half but Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme produced a superb double save to deny Daniel Fox and Gary Gardner.

Nottingham Forest played out a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final home fixture of the campaign.

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Karl Robinson: “We have to go about it in the right manner. It will be a long time before our next competitive game after Saturday, so we have to go into it trying to win."
FIGHTING TALK

A full match report will be available to view on mkdons.com straight after the final whistle.

@MKDonsFC can also follow every pass, tackle, shot and goal by following the Club’s official page - Twitter
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Fans can also stay in touch with the Dons via mkdons.com’s matchday blog, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from 10am.

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Tune in to MK Dons PlayerHD from 12.25pm for live commentary of today's game – click
MATCH COVERAGE

Forest are the only side in the Championship yet to concede a goal from the penalty spot this season.
DID YOU KNOW?

His assistant referees will be Stuart Eagland and Michael D’aguilar, while the fourth official is Christopher Sarginson.

Martin has booked 81 players in 36 games this campaign but only sent off four players, one of which was Dons defender Antony Kay in that match with the Clarets earlier this year.

in 2016, having marshalled the Championship clash with Burnley back in January.
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Stephen Martin will take charge of the Dons’ season finale – the second time he has refereed at
REFEREE

Boss Williams could hand a start to teenage midfielder Oliver Burke, who featured from the bench at the City Ground last weekend.

Nottingham Forest could have Michael Mancienne back from an ankle injury but David Vaughan and Jamie Ward aren’t expected to play due to their respective complaints.

On a positive note, Ben Reeves could make the bench after returning to training and, having trained with the first team all week, Academy trio Connor Furlong, Oran Jackson and Sam Nombe may be included in the matchday squad once again.

Kyle McFadzean, on 14 yellow cards, may not be risked again but Samir Carruthers should continue despite being on the same total, due to the lack of numbers in midfield.

The Dons will monitor both George Baldock and Darren Potter, who have been suffering with illnesses of late, while Jake Forster-Caskey, David Martin, Cody Cropper and Rob Hall are all out due to injury.
TEAM NEWS

Paul Williams: “I want to make sure the lads perform – we can’t put our foot on the brake. We need to kick on and end the season on a strong note.”
To purchase tickets click here, visit the Box Office at stadiummk/kiosk at centre:mk or call 0333 200 5343.

Tickets for today's clash with Nottingham Forest are priced from £25 adults, £17 over-65s/under-21s and £7 under-18s, while under-12s can go FREE with a Young Dons membership.They can also be bought from the cash-only booths around stadiummk.